The Week in iOS Apps: Play ball!

This week’s roundup of new and updates apps includes stuff for baseball fans, foodies, and lovers of “Duck Dynasty.” There's something for everyone.

A&E/History Channel

Folks who love their Duck Dynasty and/or endless documentaries about World War II are in luck. Both the A&E and History Channel apps for iPhone and iPad were updated this week with the capability to let you view programming live as it airs, as long as you sign in with a password from your TV provider.

Amazon Cloud Drive Photos

This photo storage service launched version 3.0 of its free iOS app this week, featuring a complete redesign of its user interface. The new features include improvements to navigation, to get to your most frequently used features; sorting functions that allow you to organize photos and albums by date and name; the ability to see the progress and status of your uploads; and a timeline to view your history of photos and videos.

iBank for iPad

It hasn’t been that long since we called iBank for iPad a “stellar full-featured personal financial app.” Well, now there are even more features—including the ability to search for any transaction in a single account or across all your accounts. Other new items: transactions that auto-complete as you type the payee; an auto-complete bar that lets you choose and pick from several possible matches; and, of course, support for iOS 7.

Pinnacle Studeio

This $13 video-editing app for iPad hit version 5.0 this week with a whole host of new features. Among the highlights: the ability to create 24, 25, and 30 frames-per-second projects; the transferring of projects to and from (the separate) Pinnacle Studio for iPhone or iPod Touch; all-new video tutorials and new pop-up help; and new precision-trimming gestures.

RBI Baseball 14

For years, iOS baseball players have been stuck with games that featured real MLB players on generic city-based rosters instead of their actual major league teams. RBI Baseball 14, a $5 offering for iPhone and iPad, restores some verisimilitude to the action—letting Chase Utley, for example, play for the actual Philadelphia Phillies. You can choose to play full or partial seasons with players based on their real-life counterparts. Play ball!

RollerCoaster Tycoon 4

The good news? (Holds hands over head and screams.) In the $3 RollerCoaster Tycoon 4, you still get to build the best rides and amusement parks that your imagination can create. This being 2014, you can also share your creations on Facebook and Twitter. The not-as-good-news? You’ll probably end up spending some real money, with in-app purchases ranging from $1 to $100, to give you an edge in making the amusement park of your dreams.

Taste Savant

This free iPhone app for foodies helps you pick your next restaurant “by curating the best restaurants and featuring reviews from trusted sources like critics, chefs, bloggers, and your friends.” In other words, it blends expert commentary with the wisdom of the crowd. Hope that means you get a tasty steak!

WakeApp Weather Lite

WakeApp Weather Lite is a free iPhone offering that you can set to alert you if weather conditions at particular locations are ideal for your needs. Don’t want to go to the mountains until snow is falling? The app will let you know. And it knows you have a job: The app can be programmed to sound weather-location-specific alaerts only on weekends.

Others of note

Pandora’s alarm clock is now available on the iPad … Fitbit now has improved communication with Fitbit.com … and NBC now offers AirPlay mirroring via Apple TV.